Clouded Dawn
by Lavender Wonder
Summary: Batman and Flash have never really seen eye to eye. But when they are forced to work together, will they live to tell the tale? Takes place between 'Starcrossed' and 'Justice League Unlimited'. CHAPTER 6 UP
1. A Distress Call

**A/N: **This is my first Justice League fic, and I feel like such a big loser for writing it, since I should be focusing on my Pirates of the Caribbean fic and others. LOL. But this plot bunny kept bugging to come out, so I let it run lose. This takes place sometime between the 'Starcrossed' episode and the 'Justice League Unlimited' season. And I guess it's a bit AU since it takes place during the Christmas holidays. And if any one is curious about the title…it's supposed to be an oxymoron, showing the difference in personalities in Flash and Batman. Well, I hope you lot enjoy. I hope they don't seem OOC, but if any of you have any constructive criticism on how to improve this, by all means let me know. I will try to apply it to the best of my ability.

_**Clouded Dawn**_

_Chapter 1:_

A Distress Call

Batman had always found comfort staring out into the endless abyss that was space from the Justice League headquarters, the Watchtower. He could stare on forever at the exotic mass of ever-flickering stars, and he could always find something new to discover. The black inky mass that drowned the balls of fire reminded Bruce Wayne that other than the stars, it was completely empty and void of life. In that sense, he felt he could relate to space; he was one of those stars, floating aimlessly in the universe, cold and alone. Just like his heart.

Batman tore his gaze from the window of the watchtower, and went back to finishing his work on the computer. He tried to ignore the mistletoe hanging a few feet away in the mechanic doorway of the lab, but it was hard to miss the only thing with colour in the room. It only reminded him that it was the holidays, the time of year that his heart felt the coldest. Every holiday was cheerless for Bruce, since he had no one to celebrate with, except for his loyal butler and friend, Alfred. But even his friends needed time to spend with his family.

Batman suddenly heard the sliding door from beside him glide open; the dark knight didn't even look up.

The Flash waltzed in, whistling without a worry in the world. He had come to the Watchtower only so that he could retrieve his precious CD player so that he could listen to it over the holidays, but then he had seen a light on in the lab. Wally had then decided to investigate.

The Scarlet Speedster looked over and saw Batman hunched over his computer like Quasimodo. Then he quickly looked up and saw the mistletoe. He smiled cheerily. "Bats! I know you like me, but sorry, I don't swing that way," he joked good-naturedly, swinging his hip to the left for effect.

Batman let out a small, annoyed grunt, but didn't bother to glance at his teammate. Of course the first thing that popped out of Flash's mouth had to be something stupid.

Wally, oblivious the Batman's irritation, zipped over beside the dark knight and poked his head over Bruce's shoulder. "What'cha doin'?" he chirped with a child-like innocence.

I'm _trying _to finish my work, but that's hard to do when you're hovering over me like that," Batman replied with a mask of calmness.

Flash stood up straight, taking the hint. "Well, can't it wait 'til after the holidays?" he puzzled, scratching the back of his head.

"No." Bruce replied flatly, then paused. "Why are you here, anyway?"

The Scarlet Speedster grinned and revealed his crimson Discman. "'Can't live without my CD Player, can I?" Then, much to Batman's aggravation, Flash played his Discman at full blast, 'Hey Ya' by Outkast filling the silver room like a disease.

Batman covered his ears, fearing they would begin to bleed buckets if he didn't plug them. "Flash, turn that damn thing off!" he bellowed.

Wally was in a mid-dance step when he froze. "What!" he shouted, unable to hear Bats.

Bruce groaned, then pressed the 'stop' button forcefully on Flash's CD player. He gave his teammate a dirty look, who in return chuckled nervously.

"Uh, sorry?"

Bruce rolled his eyes and turned back to his computer monitor. "How can you listen to that? It's completely vulgar and should be rejected as a form of 'music'."

"Hey! It's not 'Rejected', it's 'Outkast!'" Flash corrected, offended by Batman's comment.

Batman wanted to pound Wally's head in, but instead pounded into his keyboard with his fingers.

That was when the Watchtower's 'incoming distress signal' alarm went off. The superheroes looked up and automatically rushed to the main room, Flash beating Batman there by ten seconds with his super speed.

The dark knight keyed in some commands on the main computer, and the computer targeted a spot on the hologram of Earth in front of the pair.

"There's a distress signal coming from Keystone City, or rather the outskirts of it," Batman explained.

"Keystone? Hey, I live there! What could be happening?" Wally wondered out loud.

"I know you live there, Wally," Bruce said calmly, "But it looks like there's nothing wrong with the city itself. It's coming from a cave. It seems pretty suspicious."

"Should we check it out?"

"'We'? More likely _I_ will, and you will go home."

"Well, why not? It's my territory. I should at least come with you!" Wally argued.

Batman tapped his fingers impatiently. "The idea of working with you, alone, doesn't exactly strike me as 'fun'."

Flash frowned. "Aw, come on, Bats, I'm hurt! I _know _you like me! Just give me a chance," he whined, his hands clasped together hopefully.

Bruce was silent, weighing his options. He could go with Flash and risk a major migraine, or leave him alone and risk another one later when Wally would complain to him about not letting him go. Either way, he ended up with a headache. The billionaire sighed in defeat.

"Fine then."

"Great, thanks!" Wally West grinned with enthusiasm, patting Bats on the back in a friendly gesture, "So, can we go in your Batmobile?"

**_To Be Continued…_**

Please review on your way out.


	2. Mission: Impossible

**A/N: **Wow, thanks for all of the reviews! It really means a lot to me and really brightened my day. Just a note for you lot- I forget what Batman's ship-thingy he flies through the air through is called, so I'm just referring to it as the Batmobile…I'm such a poor fan. LOL. Also, I'll try not to make Batman such a stiff bastard in the future…instead he'll just be stiff. Good ol' Bats.

_**Clouded Dawn**_

_Chapter 2:_

Within minutes of receiving the unknown distress call, Batman and Flash were back in the Earth's atmosphere, hovering in the sleek Batmobile. As Batman steered their way towards Keystone City, Flash, for once, was silent, drinking in all of the gadgets and machinery that was the Batmobile in awe. The silence also left Wally alone with his thoughts, something he didn't let happen often. He usually liked staying alert and active instead of dwelling on things. He'd rather have kept an upbeat attitude, oblivious to any problems, than linger on misfortunate things that had just occurred.

Flash couldn't help but think about Batman. Bruce, as long as he had known him, had always been stuff, calm, calculating, and with a dark cloak hovering over him. The Fastest Man Alive always knew that Batman didn't particularly like him, even though Flash always denied it. But Bats had pretty much said that he didn't like him companionship, and even though the superhero hid it, the truth stung.

Wally just couldn't figure it out. Why didn't Batman like him? Sure, he was inexperienced, loud, and a bit egotistical at times, but somehow people learned to like him anyway. Why couldn't Bruce bring himself to do the same? Especially in times like these, the Justice League had to get along and stick together. Hawkgirl's betrayal was an example of how important the team's bond was. The thread of trust had shook, and the Justice League had nearly collapsed with it.

The Scarlet Speedster pushed the dark thoughts of the past out of his mind as he realized the Batmobile was entering Keystone City forest; it wouldn't be long now.

However, Flash couldn't help but feel antsy- he had been in one spot far too long, and it was driving the superhero up the wall.

Wally then decided blind impulsiveness was a good thing as he spied a big red button. "Hey, Bats, what's this thing do?" he asked curiously, his finger hovering over it.

Batman side-glanced at Flash, and froze when he realized what his teammate was doing. "No, don't press-!" he gasped.

Too late- Wally West pushed in the crimson button, in which the Batmobile proceeded to draw a bazooka-like weapon. It then blew up the chunk of trees in front of the machine with a _BOOM!_, smoldering ashes taking the vegetation's place.

The Batmobile hovered in the air for a moment, frozen in time. Flash's eyes were as wide as car tires underneath his mask; his mouth hung open in shock. Bruce, meanwhile, looked like he was about to blow a fuse.

"Oh…damn. That's- I'm sorry-!" The Scarlet Speedster sputtered sheepishly.

"Don't. Just- don't." The dark knight stated flatly, tapping his fingers on the steering wheel. He could already tell that he was going to need a whole bottle of Advil to tame his headaches before the end of this.

**444444444444444**

After the 'small delay', the Batmobile glided smoothly in front of the cave in the vast forest of Keystone City and parked to a stop. The pair of superheroes exited the sleek hovercraft and paced cautiously towards the cave, fresh white snow tracing where they had stepped.

When Flash first saw the cave from up in the sky, it had just looked like a harmless hut- but now he could see up-close that it was massive and had the spooky feel of a haunted mansion. It seemed ancient and abandoned, cobwebs decorating the entrance almost like Christmas lights. Wind howled at him from inside, daring Wally to step forward. The young adult hugged his arms in a shiver, the mass of air from the cave and the crisp winter air in general attacking his skin through his thin spandex suit. All of his instincts told him to turn back, but when Batman stepped forward, his own feet followed, attached to the Dark Knight with invisible strings.

Once they entered the cave, Batman realized that it was very poorly lit, so he grabbed a flashlight from his utility belt and turned it on, illuminating the area slightly. The added light didn't comfort Flash one bit, since as soon as Bruce turned on the light, hundreds of bats fled the cave, nearly flying right into Wally and scaring him to death.

Flash zoomed behind Batman with a yelp, using him for a shield. The dark knight, meanwhile, was perfectly at ease, the flying rodents a welcome friend to him.

"Damn bats-!" The Scarlet Speedster gasped out, then looked at his companion out of the corner of his eyes. "You should feel right at home here,"

"That's enough," Bruce grunted, stepping aside so that Flash could no longer use him as a shield. Wally simply grinned sheepishly.

"Alright, now that that's over with, we need to find where that signal was coming from," Batman stated, pulling out another gadget to track down the distress call precisely.

The Fastest Man Alive, who would have rather had his teeth drilled than be there at that moment, chuckled nervously, rubbing the back of his head with his gloved hands. "Eheh, sure, Bats, whatever you say."

The unlikely pair trudged on further in the cave, Flash sticking close behind Bats, not daring to run further on in the dark. His body language suggested a meek, scolded child, while the billionaire looked much more confident in the dark, even more so than when he was in daylight.

"So, where is our 'damsel in distress'?" Wally inquired meekly.

Batman looked down at his tracker, then back to his teammate. "The signal seems to be moving…wait. It stopped." He looked back at his gadget, Flash glancing over his shoulder at it, even though he had no hope to understand what it meant. Bruce closed his eyes in annoyance when he heard Flash's sharp breathing in his ear.

"You're doing that hovering thing again, Flash."

"Well, damn then, stop being so mysterious and tell me already!" The Scarlet Speedster demanded in a panicky voice.

"…The signal's right behind us."

Then at the worst possible moment, the flashlight's life flickered away, leaving the superheroes in complete blackness.

Flash started to yell out in fear. "Oh god, we're going to die!"

"Funny, I never thought of you as one to be afraid of the dark," came Batman's ever-calm voice.

"I-I'm not! God, this is just like that horror movie I saw last night- two guys are in a freaky place, their flashlight goes out right after a moment of foreshadowing, and then the monster _eats _them!"

"Calm down, Flash! There is no monster, you don't have to be afraid!"

"But I'm not!"

"Oh, but you should be…you should be _very _afraid."

"Uh, Batman…since when did your voice get creepier than usual?"

"That _wasn't_ me…just give me a second, I have a spare flashlight somewhere…"

Light filtered through the cave from Batman's fresh flashlight. Batman swerved the light around, from Flash's fearful face to another one.

Onto the deranged face of the Joker.

_**To Be Continued…**_

Reviews rock my socks.


	3. The Time Warp

**A/N: **Sorry for the long delay…I've been busier than expected for the past few weeks. But, here's the next chapter now for all of you great reviewers out there!  Also, a couple of replies to you guys:

**Jill- **I'll try to make them more IC, I'm still trying to get used to writing them, and I'm sort of experimenting with how they would react to certain situations right now. Like Flash being scared- he's the youngest of the bunch, and the most immature. He could very well have a fear of the dark. However, I probably shouldn't have made it so obvious. Also, like I said in the author's note last chapter, I don't remember what Batman's hover thingy was called, so I was just calling it the Batmobile. But thanks for pointing these things out- I'll try to work with them in future chapters.

**J- **Well, Batman was being sort of sarcastic, sooo…;) I'm glad you thinks it's interesting, though!

And of course, thanks to GeminiCrystal, sexy pancake, doc-trigger, sokerfreek922, Alba Aulbath, Silver Mirror, Surfredia, and Lil' Candy for reviewing as well!

And ya, the title of this chapter is the song 'The Time Warp' from the movie 'The Rocky Horror Picture Show'…only 'cause it seems to fit the Joker's personality. I've never seen the movie, though I want to, however it's a damn good song. So, please enjoy this chapter:D

_**Clouded Dawn**_

_Chapter 3: _

The Time Warp

"My, my, what a surprise! It's so good to see you again, Batty, and your little friend, Speedy," The Joker announced with mirth, clasping his hands together, a wicked grin spread across his white face.

Any fear that Flash had felt previously was forgotten and replaced with confusion. "Wait, _you _sent the distress call?"

Batman glowered at the Joker. Somehow, he should have seen this coming. He had been so distracted with his annoyance towards Wally that he didn't make the connection that it was very suspicious when a distress call with no video or even audio came from a cave, of all places. He had felt compelled to check it out. Bruce wanted to kick himself; he would _never_ be so foolish on a good day.

"How very observant of you," Joker beamed at the fastest man alive, "Apparently that's the only way to get Catman over here's attention anymore- play damsel in distress and the hero shall come running…but it looks like I've got a two-for-one deal this time!"

Flash frowned. He had always been edgy around the Joker in the few rare occasions he had seen him because he was so unpredictable and loony- but this just downright baffled him. He seemed almost…reasonable, minus the wicked smirk plastered on his power white face. Plus he couldn't make out what he meant by the last thing he said. "What…?"

"In other words, you coming was a bad decision," Bruce snarled, he eyes never leaving the super-villain.

"Aww, why the long face?" Joker cooed, "You look just like an ass! Oh, wait, that's right! You are one!" he barked with laughter.

Bruce refused to give the psychopath the satisfaction of seeing him seething, so instead of growling and tackling down the Joker like he wished, Batman simply pursed his lips and clenched his fists behind his concealing cloak.

Wally, meanwhile, wouldn't stand by and let his teammate be insulted. "Hey, look who's talkin', greasy," he shot back, pointing at the Joker's dark, slicked back hair, "I'd feel like an ass myself if I wore a tacky purple suit like _that _after Labour Day!"

"Ooh, and this is coming from a kid wearing a spandex suit? That way it _grabs _at you- you _must _be popular with the ladies," the super-villain cackled, absolutely thrilled with the prospect of pissing off the superheroes.

And piss off Wally it did. The fastest man alive felt ready to pummel in the Joker's skull. He would have followed through with his notion, too, if Bruce Wayne hadn't had discreetly grabbed Flash's arm with his left hand.

"What do you want, Joker?" Batman questioned dangerously.

"Oh, so many things, Bat-head," the super-villain drawled, "World domination, a stick of fake gum, unlimited joy buzzers- but most of all, to see you utterly _suffer_."

"So basically you just put us in a room and turn off the lights? Sorry, but we're not afraid of the bogeyman," Flash quipped bravely.

"Oh, so the 'Oh my god, we're going to die!' thing was all an act, Flashy-boy?" Joker inquired, imitating the superhero with uncanny resemblance.

The fire of anger that burned within Flash became brighter, but he held it at bay.

"Anyway, as I was saying before I was so _rudely _interrupted, I want you to suffer, Batboy. You should know this by the number of times I've attempted at this, and failed or succeeded at a very minimal scale. I'm running out of ideas, as much as I hate to admit it, so I'm trying out one of my first ideas that never made it past the drawing board- simply corner and torture you. But not just physically- _mentally _as well." The Joker at this point began to cackle uncontrollably, and Flash finally saw a bit of the insanity that bubbled within the super-villain.

"J-just how do you plan on managing that?" quavered Flash, feeling some of his nerve evaporate when he looked into the crazed face of the clown.

"Now, what would be the fun in telling you that? Why don't you wait and see for yourself, after all, I'm sure you'll play a major part in this, since you so _stupidly _got caught up in this affair…"

Then, action took place. The fastest man alive was shocked by the speed of Batman, as well as surprised that he had beaten him to the punch. Bruce had pulled out one of his trusty batarangs from his utility belt, and swiftly shot it at the Joker in mid-rant, pinning part of his purple coat to a rocky wall.

The comedian was taken by surprise and the only thing he could think to do was attempt to tug himself free. But when he finally did get free, it wasn't by his own accord, rather when the dark knight gave him a swift kick in the face, knocking him back and tearing a large hole in his tacky jacket. As all of these events took place, the flashlight Bruce had been holding clattered to the ground, lighting up the shadows of the pair.

But the Joker recovered quite quickly and began to formally sparring with the billionaire. The mortal enemies exchanged punch after punch, kick after kick, but found that no matter what, they were evenly matched.

Between punches, Batman glanced at Flash, who was staring in awe at the fight, hesitant to interrupt. Wally knew that if he got involved in the one-on-one battle, he would very likely end up loosing an important body part. "Don't just stand there, find us an exit!" Bruce shouted to his teammate.

That was when the super-villain decided to play dirty. After stumbling back purposely from a punch he could have easily blocked, he discreetly stuck his hand into his coat pocket, and put his electrocuting joy-buzzer on his middle finger. With an evil smirk, he jabbed Batman in the jaw with his jolting 'toy'.

The dark knight's lungs constricted, threatening to suffocate him, as electricity coursed through his body. It was very quick, he barely had time to scream, but the pain was so searing that it froze his brain. When he finally landed from soaring due to the electric punch, Batman struggled to sit up, still shaky from the aftershock.

This seemed to snap Wally out of his stupor. His eyes wide, he realized that he had to act, and fast. With a sudden coy grin, he thought to himself, _Well, that's what I do best- 'act quickly'. Besides, why look for an exit when I can just _make _one?_

With that, the young hero began zipping around, feeling the walls at rapid speed to find the weakest spot. When he did, he backed up, rubbed his hands together eagerly, and began twirling his arms around and around, faster and faster, until it blurred like a propeller of a helicopter. In fact, the fastest man alive was spinning his arms so fast you could hear a high pitched whine and the wind that had suddenly come to life became enormous.

Meanwhile, the Joker hadn't given Batman any leisure time; the super-villain came running up with a brisk kick. Bruce was able to recover enough and just in time to grab his leg before it collided with his head, and flipped the clown off his feet, sending him into a face-plant.

With a growl, the super-villain lifted by his dirt-covered face and looked up. He could see Wally in front of the wall, which had slowly begun to crack like an egg. The Joker glowered at this, even with his mouth stuck in a permanent grin. He pushed himself off of the ground, wiping soil from his snow-white cheek. "You're not going anywhere," he rumbled lowly.

Batman, who had now stood up to his full height, saw the Joker pull something else out of his pocket in the shadow of the small amount of light from the flashlight, and tackled the clown down, attempting to wrestle it out of his hands to prevent any further damage. The super-villain, however, had other plans. Bruce was on top of the Joker, so he simply kicked him off.

The dark knight recovered quickly, but not quick enough. While Flash was trying to create a hole in the wall, rocks were flying everywhere and it was becoming hard to see even his outstretched arm, but nothing could stop Bruce from seeing the Joker throw a bomb high up in the air towards them.

It hit the ceiling undeviatingly above them, and a supernova occurred. Rock exploded, and a bright orange light filled the air. The Flash stopped his arms, the wall in front weakening with the ceiling, and he knew he had to get out of there fast before the cave fell on them.

Wally West zipped away from the wall, and desperately tried to find Bruce. However, the bright orange light from the explosion blinded him. "Bats!" he yelled out helplessly.

Then, the cave, fell, and darkness enveloped Wally.

Bruce had heard his teammate's call, but was unable to react since he as well felt his state of mind fade away as the boulders fell on him.

_**To Be Continued…**_

Reviews rock my socks.


	4. Carry Me Home

**A/N: **Eheheh…I live?I'm really sorry for the delay…I've been somewhat busy and found myself really not in the mood to type anything for a long period of time. Plus I have a mini-writer's block…I know basically what I want to write for this, but not exactly how to deliver it. So please be patient with me, I do plan on continuing this! _dodges tomatoes_ But, at long last, here is the next chapter! I hope you all enjoy it. :)

The chapter title is a lyric from the song 'All the Small Things' by Blink 182...I seriously could not think of a good song to name this chapter. :P

**Doc-trigger: **Glad you like it! And don't worry, Wally will get his paid due as well…(mwahaha).

**Sarkywoman: **_shifty eye_ Hmmm…that's not a bad idea…;)

**Girl-intrruptd: **I'm glad you like this so far:) Well, Joker _can_ fighta little bit, which was shown in The Batman Beyond movie…but you're right, he's not very strong. Batman could easily kick his ass, but keep in mind it was dark, plus Joker cheated. ;)

**Go-Colts: **Erm, can you agree I have creative license as a writer? ; Ya, Joker can be a push-over in a fight, but this is my first time trying to write him, so I may make some mistakes along the way. However, I did have Joker use a 'surprise' to help him fight- the electrical buzzer. Otherwise, Batman could have overpowered him easily. (And you're right, Flash could destroy Joker. ;))

Also, thank you Ashley, Lady of Faerie, someone, Tomboy13, wickedomen1, Taichi Prime, Dee, backupsystem, sokerfreek922, Chezza, and booboaba for reviewing! Your comments make me feel all warm n' fuzzy inside. ;)

_**Clouded Dawn**_

_Chapter 4: _

Carry Me Home

Wally West could feel his senses begin to return as his cloudy brain slowly woke up. The young superhero rolled his eyes open as he let out a low moan. Shapes drifted across his vision, and they sluggishly began to make sense.

He was faced towards a mountain of rubble, crumpled on his side like a rag-doll. The rubble was piled up high and flared out in all directions like flower petals, cupping the fastest man alive on his side so that he couldn't get back through the way he came. He could see a small ray of light coming from the very high ceiling above, shining on him and the rocks gently.

Flash shakily sat up and rubbed a sore spot on his head tenderly. Visions on the last things he remembered before blacking out invaded his thoughts- trying to make an exit in the cave, Joker setting off a bomb, a sharp pain in his head from being hit with a rather large rock…

The Scarlet Speedster tensed up fearfully. How long had he been out? Where was the Joker? Where was-?

"Bruce!" Wally gasped out, staggering to his booted feet. At first he felt dizzy, like he had been on the Tilt-A-Whirl for a whole day straight, but the determination to find his teammate steadied his sights. He desperately searched with his eyes for Batman.

He eventually traced Bruce, who was at the bottom of the rock pile, sprawled out on his stomach and obviously unconscious. Wally, eyes round as a Frisbee, dashed to Batman's side and knelt next to the fallen superhero. He frantically began to shake the dark knight in hopes to revive him.

"Bruce! Come on, wake up, man," Flashed pleaded.

Eventually, a groan was issued from the older man's mouth and his eyes fluttered open from beneath his cowl. "…Wally?" he murmured distantly.

The Scarlet Speedster smiled in relief. "Here, let me help you up," he offered. Batman, still a bit dazed, didn't object.

However, his leg did. When Flash started to pull Batman to a standing position, Bruce felt a sharp pain through his knee, and he crumpled back to Earth. The dark knight hissed in agony.

"Crap," Flash stated bluntly, then slowly turned Bruce onto his back. "Let's try this again," he was about to try to help Batman up again, when the older man swatted his gloved hand away.

"I can stand up on my own," the dark knight growled out, now completely awake.

Wally blinked, somewhat hurt, but muttered after backing out of the way, "Sure, go ahead, but don't blame me if you fall on your head again…"

The dark knight, ignoring his teammate's comment, slowly staggered up, gritting his teeth to hold back the yelps of pain in the back of his throat, which were replaced by more hisses. Somehow, Bruce Wayne was able to stand up on his own, albeit shakily.

Only for a second, though, since he began to teeter on spot from the pain in his leg, threatening to make him collapse. Wally, however, noticed the older man's struggle and impulsively zoomed back over to his side and wrapped the dark knight's arm around his neck to support him.

"Easy, man, don't break your hip now," Flash joked loosely.

Batman swiftly gave the Fastest Man Alive his trademark glare, which made Wally shut up automatically, fearing he would turn to stone under Bruce's medusa-like glare. Even when injured, the threat of the dark knight maiming someone was quite frightening.

When Batman had stood up fully, he looked down at his leg. It felt as if someone had stabbed him in the kneecap with a hot pitchfork, but look more like someone had twisted it out of place, as it was starting to swell slightly.

"I think your leg's broken, Bats," Flash peeped, working up some bravery after receiving the dreaded Bat-glare a few moments earlier.

"Is that so?" the dark knight replied dryly.

Flash then looked back at the mountain of rocks behind them; he could see a light from the now broken-up ceiling, but it was too low to climb up, and too high to climb over. "We're going to have to find a new way out of here,"

"This day is just full of surprises," Batman remarked sarcastically, who was especially cranky due to the pain that bit relentlessly at his leg as he leaned against Wally West. He hated having to rely on others for help, and the fact that it had to come from the loud-mouthed Flash, of all people, positively grated at his normally well-maintained temper.

Wally glanced at Bruce, perplexed by the older man's reaction. "Quite the cranky old fart, aren't ya?" he inquired bluntly.

Big mistake; The next thing the Scarlet Speedster knew, he had been pinned to the ground, arms behind his back as if he were being arrested and his face buried in the dirt.

Bruce had momentarily forgotten the pain in his leg and had flipped Flash over his head, and sat relatively comfortably on Wally's legs, his own injured leg spread out as to not hurt it further. He held the Fastest Man Alive's arms in a grip that if the superhero tried moving them too much they would break.

"Never. Call. Me. _That,_" Batman snarled, his tone of voice deceiving his mask of calm on his face.

It took Wally a second to register what was happening, his eyes scanning ahead of himself blankly, confounded. Then, Flash burst out, "Okay, okay, I give! Yeesh, it was just a joke, no need to get all wound up…"

"Good." Batman slid off of Flash, letting his teammate stand up again. Then, Bruce attempted to get himself back up, but his leg reminded him of why he needed help walking in the first place. The dark knight cursed himself for not holding in his emotions.

"Don't expect me to help you after _that _stunt you pulled," Wally West pouted, his arms crossed stubbornly and turned away from the dark knight.

Bruce Wayne didn't even bother answering. Instead, he inched his way over to a wall, and using it as a support, he unsteadily stood up once more. Batman could feel sweat trickling down his cowl and he was panting in pain and exhaustion.

Flash suddenly recognized Bruce's struggles and, forgetting his indignation, zipped over beside Batman and let him lean on his shoulder again.

"Hey, we're supposed to be fighting the Joker, not each other," the Fastest Man Alive stated softly, afraid that a louder voice would break the normally strong Batman like glass.

"…Yes, you're right," Batman sighed; He felt too tired now to be unreasonable and snarky.

A beat skipped.

"Sooo, aren't you going to apologize?"

"Don't push it, Wally."

**444444444444444**

Flashlight in one hand, injured superhero leaning across his other shoulder, Wally West slowly paced through the dark halls of the cave. Well, it was slow to him, the fastest man alive, but it was actually a rather brisk walk to 'normal' people. Even with the flashlight on, which was needed since the light in the ceiling was far behind the two superheroes, the cave seemed to be haunted, with shadows dancing across Flash's vision and eerie sounds teasing his eardrums.

But the Scarlet Speedster couldn't let fear get in the way, not now. Not when he had something important to do.

Of course, he'd rather have rushed to do this than walk at a leisurely pace. But since his 'task' was to help Bruce get around and to just plain get the hell out of there, he feared that if he went too fast he'd injure Batman further.

Plus he didn't want to piss Bats off even more and end up having the Dark Knight pull more freaky karate crap on him.

"Sooo…do you think Joker got caught in that rock slide?" Flash asked, attempting to strike up a conversation.

"Even if he did, he's probably elsewhere by now," Bruce replied bitterly, "He's probably hiding, waiting for the right moment to strike."

"Well _that's _something to look forward to…in a way, I'd prefer to have those damn bats swoop on me again."

"Why is that?"

"Because at least they're not off their rocker and fallin' down the porch steps--" Suddenly, as if on cue, Wally stepped on an old, frail twig, which made an echoing '_SNAP!_' throughout the cave. At that, what must have been a million flying rodents erupted from the ceiling, screeching and attacking the Fastest Man Alive's head relentlessly as they glided by.

An irrational and uncontrollable fear took over Flash as it crawled up his spine, figuratively in the sense of fright, and literally in which one of the bats landed on the square of his back. It didn't help that he was already startled by the flying rodents' sudden appearance, but at that point he just flat out tweaked.

"GAH!" Wally gasped, dropping everything, including Batman, and in a panic he began running at top speed in an attempt to get the rodent off of him; Very quickly, the bat flopped off, too dizzy to hold on any longer.

Flash skidded to a halt, his heart pumping with adrenaline out his fear. Thinking of the bats led him to think of the _other _bat—Bat_man_, to be exact.

Wally suddenly felt really foolish for his anxiety and what it had led him to- leaving Bruce alone and getting lost in the dark, his other fear. It wasn't that he was really _scared _of the dark, or even bats for that matter- but bats plus creepy cave plus utter darkness equaled total mental meltdown on Wally West's creep-out scale.

Flash rushed back in the general direction of the Dark Knight, and picked up the flashlight, which was still on. "Bruce?" he called out, scanning the area with the beam of light. Eventually it came upon Batman's figure, which was trying to get up again with difficulty.

Flash walked up to the Dark Knight, a sheepish grin on his face. "Eheh, sorry, Bats…sometimes my legs have a mind of their own," Wally stretched out his gloved hand to offer Batman some help, but the superhero of the night simply glared at his teammate yet again.

"I don't need your help, not when it's going to be so unreliable," spat Bruce Wayne.

"Aw, come on, I said I was sorry!"

"'Sorry' isn't always good enough, Wally…not coming from _you_, anyway,"

The Scarlet Speedster regarded Batman in disbelief. "H-hey, you don't really mean that, do you?"

The billionaire remained silent, as he started limping heavily ahead; he would leave that to Wally's imagination.

Flash, fully flabbergast, found that he couldn't move forward an inch; he was frozen with shock. Did people really find him that untrustworthy? Could people not take his word for anything, even when he _really_ meant it…?

He didn't want others to think of him that way. He was quick to act and a bit accident-prone, but under no circumstances did he want the title 'unreliable', especially in the eyes of his teammates.

Batman's voice knocked Wally out of his musings. "Why don't you run ahead and see if you can find an exit?" he requested gruffly, using the cave walls for support to make sure he didn't collapse.

"I can't just leave you here!" the Fastest Man Alive reasoned, hurt evident in his tone, "Besides, there's only one flashlight…either way, someone's going to end up stumbling around in the dark,"

Bruce breathed out heavily in aggravation and shook his head wearily. "Whatever," he muttered, "Just stay out of my way." He then began to slowly step forward, strain evident on his face. The Dark Knight swore to himself; he hated feeling so vulnerable, especially with the Joker on the loose. Who knew what the supervillain would do in Bruce's moment of weakness…

Flash timidly followed Batman, feeling like a scolded child. He guided the light in front of his teammate so that the pair could see where they were going. For once, Wally wasn't rushing, nor was he strident. _How can I prove I'm not 'just some kid' to Bruce? Surely if I show I can be mature, he'll take me seriously… _

While the Scarlet Speedster mused ideas to prove his worth, the pair eventually reached a crossroads in the cave. One way had a sign scrawled in childish handwriting, "_Wrong Way_", the other in equally juvenile penmanship, "_Even Wronger Way_".

"Well, what are we supposed to do now?" Flash inquired, scratching the back of his head with his free hand.

Batman was silent, he eyes narrowed into slits. This was without a doubt a trick created by the Joker to throw them off. _If I were the Joker, thank god I'm not, which way would I go…?_

The fact that both of the signs illustrated that both ways were wrong didn't help much. Of course, Joker would probably say that the right way was the 'wronger' way to try to throw them off, but then he could have known they would think that and the right way was simply the 'wrong' way…or he could have known that as well and…

"I think the 'wrong' way's the right way…that would be better than 'wronger', right?" Flash thought out loud, looking at Batman expectantly.

At Flash's comment, the Dark Knight proceded down the 'wronger' way. With a confused look and a shrug, the Scarlet Speedster followed him down the corridor, the beam of light in his hand flickering in time with his steps.

A gust of wind blew by the pair, and the rush of air sounded strikingly like an insane cackle that sent chills down Wally's spine…

_**To Be Continued…**_

Reviews rock my socks.


	5. Stop Crying Your Heart Out

**A/N: **'Stop Crying Your Heart Out' is a song by Oasis…no lyrics were used in the making of this chapter.

I'm not sure if I ever made note of this, but this fic is _not_ intended to be slash. But hey, if you want it to be slash, go ahead and think however you want…but it was not my intention to make this slash when I first started on it.

And you'll be glad to know that my writer's block is starting to go away…too bad school's starting for me in a few days. / Also, thank you to backupsystem, balletangel19, rogueandkurt, doc-trigger, Dee, Miyosha, wickedomen1, girl-intrruptd, anne, and someone for reviewing! This chapter is for you guys, who have waited so patiently for it. :) And I hope this chapter is a sufficiate length…I try to make them long, but I'm afraid if I add too much detail, I'll bore you lot to death. :P Well, I hope you all enjoy this!

_**Clouded Dawn**_

_Chapter 5: _

Stop Crying Your Heart Out

The winding stone path seemed to go on forever in Wally West's opinion. Every once in a while the flashlight in his hand flickered dangerously, signaling the life of its batteries were nearing an end. He could only hope that Bruce had some extra batteries in his utility belt, otherwise the two of them would end up lost forever in the dark.

The only thing that penetrated the endless darkness other than the flashlight was the deafening sound of Flash's rumbling stomach.

At first, he tried to ignore it; if Wally complained about being hungry at a time like this, there was no way he'd win Batman's respect. Because of the Scarlet Speedster's unbelievably high metabolism, however, he was always famished- and with each passing moment, Wally's thoughts shifted more and more to buffet tables. With these thoughts, his stomach's cries increased a decibel or three, to the point that Bats could hear it as if Wally were right beside him, when in fact he was a few feet away.

This in turn made Bruce's annoyance rise, as well as his own hunger. While he didn't have as nearly of a speedy metabolism as Flash, he still hadn't eaten anything in over seven hours. The dark knight had tried to block it out of his head so he could focus on walking without falling on his head, but Wally was making this especially hard for him to do.

_GRRrrrWWwwllRRrrmmmbl_(Feed me before I start eating myself inside out, damn it!) cried out Flash's stomach, to which he tried to calm his mistreated organ's aches by hugging his waist.

But Batman had noted this, and this time it was so loud he was sure Joker had heard and was cackling with cruel delight wherever he was.

Bruce stopped struggling to travel and leaned and the wall, turned his head to his teammate and with a stoic face, a raised eyebrow the only gate to his inner emotions, "Hungry, Wally?"

Flash stopped in his tracks, and glanced at the terror of the night nervously. "Eheh…no?"

At this, Batman raised his other eyebrow skeptically. "Is that so?" he inquired, not believing Wally's fib for a second.

"Well…ya, I guess I am," The Fastest Man Alive conceded, "But I didn't want to complain!" he added hastily, his hands held up defensively.

_GGRRRWLL._

"Apparently your stomach wants to, though."

Wally crossed his arms and averted his eyes his eyes from Batman's, who seemed to be scanning his soul with his dangerous glare. "Well, what's the difference anyway? It's not like there's a burger joint anywhere we can stop at."

The Caped Crusader furrowed his brow, unimpressed. He went, "Hmm," in acknowledgment and simply turned around, limping on.

Flash winced before continuing on. He had tried to act mature by not complaining, but ended up seeming like a liar in the process. He wasn't sure which label was worse.

A few minutes later of walking, their only source of light gave one last sputter and died, deserving the eternal peace it received for its hard work.

However, that did not comfort the two superheroes.

"Aw, shit." Came Wally's voice from the obscurity of their now completely black surroundings.

"Don't move, Wally, I'll come over and change the batteries."

"Wait, maybe I should come to you; you're hurt, and you shouldn't move much-"

"I'm fine, walking a few steps won't matter."

"You don't know that- one more trip and you can kiss your walking days good-bye, old man- erp, I mean-!"

"_Don't _call me that," Batman replied icily, "Or so help me, I'll-!"

"AAAAHHH-!"

"Flash!"

Bruce could hear the sudden crumbling of rocks in the general direction of Flash's left; the idiot had moved, even when Batman had told him not to.

"Wally, are you alright? What happened!"

"I- I don't know," The Fastest Man Alive called out weakly, "I think I feel down a hole…"

"Where are you?" Batman took a couple steps forward, his hands swimming through the dark like a blind man. "Keep talking."

"Umm…I don't know how deep this is…'cause I'm hangin' over the edge right now…plus it's dark, obviously…erm, I'm sorry for calling you an old man, really, I- OW!" Wally suddenly felt a sharp pain in his sensitive fingers, threatening to make him loose his grip.

Batman jerkily limped off Wally's hand. "Sorry, I didn't see you there."

"You did that on purpose…"

"How could I if I can't even see you? Never mind, throw the flashlight up and I'll help you out of there."

"It's right by my hand, Bats…do you think I could hold it without falling in all the way?"

Bruce ignored Flash's question, and brushed aside the flashlight with the back of his hand. Ignoring the pain that blew up in his knee, he knelt on his other leg, and if there had been light in the dark cave, it would have looked as if the Dark Knight was proposing.

"Grab my hand,"

They both reached out and their clasped hands became Wally's lifeline. At a crawling pace, Batman provided to be Flash's lever to solid ground. The Dark Knight's knee quivered dangerously and his back arched as he torpidly stood up; his teeth were glued together, and a grimace was frozen with it. The Fastest Man Alive tried propelling his feet against the base of the hole to help relieve some of the weight on Batman, but it didn't lessen the pain any, despite his good intentions.

Finally, the cable broke and the pair found themselves flat on the ground, panting wildly. Both of their ears pounded with adrenaline.

Bruce Wayne weakly sat up, his arms feeling as lifeless as a crushed ant on the sidewalk. He clumsily fumbled in his utility belt for his batteries, then for the flashlight, which proved to be a mere few inches away, not that he was complaining. He feebly used his useless gloved fingers to feel around and eventually, life sparked in the previously deceased mechanism. He shined it on Wally, who was eagle-spread on his back, breathing deeply and staring wide-eyed at the ceiling, dumbstruck.

Seeing that his companion was no worse for the wear, he directed the beam of light to the hole he had just dragged Flash out of, which was less than a foot away.

He let the lamp shine down the abyss, and found that the darkness inside it gulped up the beam greedily. The cylinder of rocks went on forever, as well as the blackness contained in it.

"Oh…my god…If you hadn't have helped me, I'd have…"

The Caped Crusader glanced to his left, to see Wally, now back to his senses, gazing down the same chasm, bug-eyed and mouth wide enough to catch said creature.

"…_That_ is why you don't underestimate the 'old man'," The billionaire stated calmly, though the ice in his voice made Wally's heart freeze up with guilt, as well as his constantly running mouth.

Flash bit his lower lip and looked away. He stood up quickly and offered a hand to help Batman up, but the Dark Knight ignored it readily. This time the young superhero willed himself not to feel dejected; he could empathize with the Caped Crusader, and after the way he had been acting, wouldn't accept his help either.

Even though Batman didn't want his help, and seemed to be able to hold his own as he skirmishly stood up, Wally could tell that Bruce was worn out. Come to think of it, the Scarlet Speedster also felt very drained. If not for the debacle that just occurred, Wally could tell his internal clock was warning him to shut down for the night.

Wally's stomach growled again rather painfully; maybe if they got some rest, his craving for something to eat would be quelled.

"Hey, Bats, I'm beat, maybe we should crash for the night," Flash suggested casually.

The young hero could see the slightly exasperated expression on Bruce's usually stoic face in the shadow of the flashlight currently in said older man's possession. "I'd rather keep moving, thanks," Batman replied irritably.

"Hey, we need to at least conserve our energy- I mean, I'm starvin'…if I don't at least catch some shut-eye, you'll have to start draggin' _me_ around, since my metabolism is, like, off the charts as you should know." Wally's words seemed to be self-centered, considering he was disregarding Bruce's wants, but it was in fact the opposite. What Wally West had said had been true- he would likely be falling on his face anytime, but he also didn't want to see Batman do the same in his condition.

Batman's eyes became snake-like slits. "Fine," he ground out.

They walked (or in Bruce's case, stumbled) over to the left side of the cave, and traveled a few feet away from the hole. Both in turn slid down the wall and made themselves comfortable. Then, Batman turned off the flashlight, leaving the area black as the night sky.

"You better go to sleep right away, Wally, we're only stopping because of you,"

"Alright, alright, sheesh," Wally rolled his eyes, but then began to shiver- he hadn't noticed the cold before, especially since it was warmer in the cave than the outside due to lack of wind. But as the Fastest Man Alive sat right on the ground, with only a thin layer of red spandex on his sensitive skin, the chill that stole the warmth from him was impossible to ignore.

Flash tried to suppress the shudders that ached to come out of his starving body, but it only proved to hurt him, and the shakes started to squirm out of his mouth in small, short gasps. He hugged in an attempt to warm himself, but his arms were as ice cold as the rest of his body.

To make matters worse, his hunger made itself known again with a deep, thundering growl.

"…Wally," Batman's voice came in a warning.

"S-sorry," Flash's teeth chattered together like a hyper chirping chipmunk, and he let out another short, abrupt gasp.

"Are you cold?" Bruce questioned emotionlessly.

"…Erm-"

The Scarlet Speedster suddenly felt a thick fabric drape over his body, and it gave off the feeling of relaxing in a nice, warm hot tub, sans liquid. Wally West used his gloved fingertips to inspect the fabric.

"Wha…is this your _cape_, Bruce?"

"Yes. Now be a good boy and go to sleep," The Dark Knight drawled dryly.

Wally was quiet for an uncomfortable moment, but then whispered daringly, more to himself than anything, "I'm not a boy…I'm a fully grown adult, and I wish you would treat me like one."

"As soon as you start acting like one, I will," Batman shot back, hearing Wally's soft mumble.

Wally's normally weak temper suddenly grew in strength, but he suppressed it from entering his voice as he replied placidly, "You don't think I try to be mature? But hey, what the hell- if I didn't crack a few jokes every once in a while, I think the whole 'League would just…die in its pool of gory angst. Instead, why can't _you_ lighten up a bit?"

"There has to be at least _some_ balance in the League- while on one side there's you, an immature kid, the other side has me, where at least I know when to keep my mouth shut."

The Scarlet Speedster had to clench his teeth to insure that he didn't yell out a string of swear words at Bruce. "I'm _not_ a kid," he growled.

"Do I detect a hint of anger in your voice, Wally?" Batman asked coolly.

Flash backhanded the Dark Knight's cape off himself, which fluttered onto his teammate's lap. "Take your damn cape," he spat, "I may be an 'immature kid', but I know when I'm being insulted."

"Hm-mnh."

"What do ya mean, 'hm-mnh'?"

"Nothing."

"Is this one of these times when you know to 'keep your mouth shut'?"

"Guess."

Wally howled in a burst of frustration. "You know what- just because you have a tragic, dark past and have the personality level of a dead seal doesn't give you the right to treat people the way you do!"

"And just because you're a kid doesn't give you the right to act like an airhead all of the time."

"You don't think _I've_ had a crappy life! I've gone through hell, and I'm sure it sucks having your parents murdered, but if I can go on with life, you can too!"

Bruce's dark eyes narrowed dangerously. "How do you know my parents were murdered?"

"Puh-lease, you're freakin' _Bruce Wayne_, everyone and their _grandma _knows the tale."

The Caped Crusader was silent for a moment. "What do you mean, 'you've had a crappy life'?" he questioned quietly. Of course, the superhero already knew; he had everyone's biographies on file, however, he wanted to hear it from Wally…he might have left a few things out of his database.

Batman heard Flash take in a sharp breath; the billionaire had obviously hit a nerve. "Nothing," Wally whispered, "I meant nothing."

"Wally…" even in the dark Flash could practically see Bruce's classic bat-glare™.

The Scarlet Speedster sighed, a sudden weariness overtaking his normally cheerful demeanor. "My parents hated me." He mumbled.

"What?"

"They hated me almost as much as they hated each other. As long as I can remember, they always either fought with each other, or were yelling at me. Either way there was screaming all day long and we'd even had to cops over at our house a few times 'cause our neighbours complained. Then, one day, they took me to the park, told me to wait on the swing 'til they got back…I knew there was something wrong, since for once they weren't fighting, but I listened anyway…but…" Wally's voice cracked. "The next thing I know, I'm in an orphanage, waitin' to be adopted. They abandoned me- me, an eight-year-old _kid_!"

A moment of silence occurred, but then, Wally slowly continued, "At least your parents loved you…mine didn't want anything to do with me." He inhaled shakily.

To Bruce, it sounded like the younger man was on the verge of tears, but was so far barely succeeding to keep them at bay. Batman did not speak. He had found in Wally's file that he was adopted, but he had never known the circumstances…

The Dark Knight still found having your parents murdered in front of your eyes took the cake, but Bruce couldn't help but feel Wally's pain a bit…after all, he had been eight when he lost his parents, too. Plus, it was obvious that even though his teammate hid it well most of the time, the whole situation still hurt Wally emotionally.

"Is that why you spend so much time at the orphanage?"

"Someone's gotta be there for the kids," the young superhero muttered in a reply. He took another shuddering breath. "Maybe…that's why I have a hard time being mature. Sure, I can get down to business when I have to, but there's still that eight-year-old kid inside me…wondering what the hell happened." He shook his head, and tried hiding behind his carefree mask again with a short laugh. "Hey, sorry, I shouldn't be laying all my problems on you! After all, you're freakin' _Batman_; you've got enough issues to share with all of the citizens of Keystone!"

When Flash thought he would receive a spiteful remark from the terror of the night, he was shocked to hear Bruce say, almost in an understanding tone, "You don't have to be sorry." For the second time that night, the young man felt Batman's cape envelop him warmly, almost as a reminded that he was no longer alone. "Go to sleep, Wally,"

This time, Flash did not throw the fabric back at Bruce, but instead used it to cover up the two of them. To this, Batman's eyes widened, but he didn't object to his teammate's generousity. Flash shifted to face away from the Caped Crusader, and with a small smile, he closed his tired eyes and announced, "'Night, Bruce,"

Then, peace settled over them, dissipating the hostility between them for the first time.

But, the peace would not last forever…for a few hours later, when the two were fast asleep, a darkness shadowed over them unlike any possible night, and a crazed cackle echoed through out the cave, disturbing the silence, but not the slumbering pair.

Then, unknown to Bruce, The Flash was gone.

_**To Be Continued…**_

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	6. Clocks

**A/N: **Wow, I'm becoming notorious for lengthy delays between chapters, aren't I? But have not fear! This chapter is probably my longest yet, so be happy…though it might be another long delay for the next one, eheh. Sorry! Anyway, thank you to all reviewers, since I can't reply to you all with Author's Notes anymore due to new instant!reply settings. Anyway, I hope you enjoy. :)

'Clocks' is a song by Coldplay. I'm nowhere near rich enough to buy to right to it, not that I'd want to, since Coldplay is doing such a good job of taking care if it by themselves. ;)

_**Clouded Dawn**_

_Chapter 6: _

Clocks

Batman groggily woke up to morning, or what he thought to be morning, since his surroundings in the cave were still quite opaque. He found as he let out a deep, genuine yawn that his neck ached slightly from the awkward position he slept in. He rubbed the base of it sleepily as he pulled his cape off his lap and the still sleeping Flash. After making the stiffness vanish, he wrapped the dark fabric back around its rightful place, across his shoulders, and announced, "Wake up, Wally,"

He waited a moment for his teammate's reply, or at least a reluctant groan, but found that none came. Bruce found this a bit odd, so he called out again, this time sharply, "_Get up_, Flash,"

Once again, only silence answered. "Flash?"

Now, somewhat worried, Bruce fumbled in the dark for the flashlight, and he ordered it to awaken with the press of his thumb. It obeyed, and a beam of light escaped the bulb from behind its plastic casing.

Batman shone the light beside himself, to where Flash had been when he last saw the Scarlet Speedster the night before…only to find the area deserted.

"Flash! Answer me!" The dark knight called out, a lump forming in his throat, as he directed the illumination every which way in a flurry to find the young man.

Nothing, not even the laughter that would come from Wally, signaling that this was all just a joke. It _had _to be a joke. But then again, Flash would never joke about something as serious as this…Bruce had to at least give him that much credit.

Maybe he just went to scout ahead…but with his super speed, even he had left five minutes ago, the Fastest Man Alive would have been back by now.

The Caped Crusader's eyes suddenly caught sight of a small, bright white cloth sprawled on the dark brown dirt ground, making the fabric stand out starkly like a jock in a sea of goths. Curious, Batman leaned forward and picked up the cloth. He inspected it; he could feel a cool liquid soak slightly through his gloves- the cloth was wet. The dark knight brought it in range of his face, and smelled the wetness from a safe distance. He instantly recognized the strong, putrid smell, as well as the minor wave of dizziness that attacked his brain.

Chloroform.

Someone must have used it on Wally, so that even if he were awake, he would effectively be unconscious, and easy to kidnap. With narrowed eyes, his thoughts drew to the only person who could have done such a thing.

The Joker.

**444444444444444**

Wally West crawled grudgingly back into the land of the conscious, feeling as though Superman had pummeled his head in. He vaguely wondered why, but his brain could barely register coherent thoughts.

He slid his eyes open, and groaned pitifully. Many bright lights glared at Flash right in his eyes, which hadn't seen proper daylight for over a day. He had a hard time adjusting to the lucid lighting, and he instinctively winced. God, how his head pounded! He bleakly shook his head, and tried to move his arms to massage his aching temples.

Only his arms bounced back to the hard, cold surface on which he laid, as if a magnetic attraction held him in place. Wait a second…didn't he go to sleep the night before sitting up? On a fairly soft ground? In the _dark_? _Not _strapped down?

Events from the dark of midnight suddenly and with great ferocity crashed into his vision, invading his thoughts mercilessly. He saw the eerie profile of The Joker; the only thing truly lit up about his being the shape of his bleached white teeth that seemed to glow in the dark.

Wally remembered fumbling for the flashlight sleepily, trying to get a better look at his intruder- but a cloth was then wrapped over his nose and mouth, and an awful stench filled his lungs like water. His lightning-fast reflexes instantly became laggard with his first breath, his muscles weakened, and he felt himself uncontrollably slip from wakefulness.

With a sharp intake of breath, he tensed, filling in the blanks. "Joker," he uttered.

"Well, well, good morning, starshine, the earth says 'hello'!" a voice cackled mockingly somewhere beyond the blinding light.

Wally could have felt afraid, angry, placid, anything- but all he felt suddenly was a mild frustration. Maybe he wasn't scared because he knew what to expect- to be teased and/or tortured by a loony.

He supposed he felt frustrated, however, because he couldn't do anything about it.

Flash decided that he didn't want to give Joker the satisfaction of seeing him irked, so he remained silent.

Suddenly the light was pulled away so that it no longer shined into his sensitive green eyes. Then, his breath left him when he felt a weight push into his lower torso, and saw The Joker's face invade his vision. He was so close that their noses touched.

"Aw, you're ignoring me, Flashy-boy? I'm hurt!" the maniac cried out dramatically.

Wally bleakly wondered if The Joker's white 'face paint' would rub off onto his nose from such close contact. He could feel the circulation in his legs being brutally cut off due to the weight the villain put on his knees, which dug into the Scarlet Speedster.

"I'd be hurt too if I had a face like that," Flash grunted out bluntly.

The everlasting grin pasted on The Joker's face shrunk slightly. "Really, couldn't you think of at least a more _original_ insult? At least when Bats makes a comeback, he doesn't rely on someone's _looks _as a scapegoat. Besides, I bet you're no prize yourself under that mask…but then again, those green eyes of yours _are _quite pretty."

Wally furrowed his brow. "The hell- are you _hitting_ on me?" he asked in disgust.

The supervillain barked out a laugh. "Oh, wouldn't you like that, pretty boy? I was actually thinking more along the lines of adding your eyeballs to my collection, whenever the opportunity should arise!"

Wally visibly tensed.

"But, still, I am rather curious as to what you really look like…and it would be so easy; I could just pull this off and…" Joker reached over to Flash's scarlet mask and grabbed a clump of the fabric, along with some hair underneath rather roughly. Wally winced and clenched his fists.

"Oh, but what would be the fun in that? It would end the mystery on a rather anti-climatic note! The villain discovers the hero's true identity in his moment of weakness…that would be boring…it's _so_ over-done!"

Joker hopped off Wally and strolled away from view. Flash tilted his head so that he could see the insane man, who had turned away from him and was looking at something on a table (what the hell was a table doing in a cave?). Wally breathed out in relief, and let his head flop back to its regular position. He could relax…for the moment.

"So what is it that you want from me, if you don't want to know my secret identity? Have tea and gossip about boys?" The Fastest Man Alive asked dryly.

"Oooh, that sounds like fun!" squealed Joker, who was still turned away. Wally's eyes widened incredulously. "But, unfortunately, we don't have time for that, Speedy. So many things, so little time, but oh, so much fun!" he roared with amusement at his own self.

"Wow, on a scale of one to ten of you being at all funny, ten being the highest…you're, like, a negative four," Flash groaned flatly.

"Oh, so you're looking for funny, boy?" Joker inquired in a slightly sing-song voice. Whatever he had been tinkering with on the table then became apparent; he swirled around and promptly dug it into Wally' outstretched hand. Searing, scalding agony streaked through his skin, and The Fastest Man Alive couldn't help but let out a small screech. Seconds later, the immediate pain faded, but a dull throb pulsed through his palm. Breathing heavily, he glanced down at his hand from his awkward position and cringed. The fabric of his glove was charred away into a small hole, and he could see that the flesh underneath was simmering and starting to blister.

Flash glanced up when he heard Joker's chuckle- only instead of just his 'normal' insane cackle, it was full of malice. "Well, am I funny now, boy?" he hissed, waving around his weapon of choice that had seconds before been inflicted on the superhero; a long, thin metal rod that was a golden shade of fire at the top of the cylinder.

Wally gritted his teeth. "You're only laughable when you get your ass kicked. Especially by Bats- since he does such a good job of it, and you _still_ haven't learned to avoid it yet."

The Fastest Man Alive was hoping to see a spark of anger in the supervillain, but instead was greeted by a soft titter of laughter from said villain- but then, he thought, that could be just as scary.

"Oh, Batty, it all comes back to him, doesn't it?" Joker sighed dramatically, cupping his chin in his free hand thoughtfully and looking away. "But then again, of course it should- it's all about him, after all. In fact, he's why you're here in the first place, kid,"

Kid. Such a simple three letter word, yet it made Flash want to lash out at the villain. His chest puffed defiantly. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Isn't it obvious, or are you one brain short of a head?" Joker shot back, though his cheerful insanity was back with a vengeance. That made Wally feel no more comfortable than before. "_You're _the bait for the Bat- as well as the tragic flaw,"

"'Tragic flaw'?"

"It's an English literature term used in Shakespeare's plays from the tragic hero's weakness- in other words, the fact that you being tortured or, possibly, killed would just break the poor guy's heart," The villain mocked morbidly, his hands clasped together in a gesture of sentimentality. "Plus- _you_ betraying him with the precious secret information about him in your own moment of hamartia, or the moment your own tragic flaw comes out…well, that would be the icing on the cake, now, wouldn't it?"

Wally remained silent with a dark look on his face, but inside, for the first time since waking up, he felt fear grip at his heart.

"Now…shall we let the games begin?" Joker sneered, waving the hot metal poker around for affect; the scalding tangerine tip of the object danced off steam ominously.

"I'll never talk, Joker. Even with that little do-hickey of yours, I'll die before I say a word," Flash snarled defiantly.

"Oh, Flashy-boy, you miss the point…that _is _the idea," the clown pounced back onto The Fastest Man Alive's legs, much to said hero's aggravation. The villain tilted his head to the side like a conspiring cat feigning innocence. "Now, tell me, what is Batman's real name?"

"I thought you said that finding out the hero's identity was boring," Wally spat.

"Oh, but _this _is fun! Torturing the information out of someone is _totally_ different than simply ripping a mask off," The Joker cackled. He then made the metal rod hover under Wally's chin, a smug sneer on his doll-like face. The young man could smell the burning metal, a most unpleasant scent, and the hair on the back of his neck stood on end.

"I'll ask you again- what is Batman's true identity?"

Flash gritted his teeth wolfishly, and with a snarl, he vibrated his body as fast as he could. This constant motion sent Joker flying off his legs and into a table. "Go to hell!" he howled.

Joker stood up shakily, stunned, but shook his head and regained his composure. All traces of giddiness swept off him, and an expression of pure rage dominated his features. The clown stalked over to Wally West's side once more, and promptly stuck the metal poker into his stomach.

The Scarlet Speedster, who had expected pain, found himself roaring in agony, even though he had previously prepared himself for such an attack. Joker let it stay in the same spot for 10 seconds, though it seemed like a century to Wally. When the crazed villain removed the weapon, Wally started panting wildly, and weakly wondered how old he was now. His stomach now not only growled in hunger, but in pain as well.

Desperately, Flash tugged at his bonds with all his might. He no longer cared if he strained a muscle, popped an artery, or hurt himself otherwise; anything was better at this point than receiving 3rd degree burns. He had already set in his mind to remain tight-lipped about Batman's real name; however, he didn't know if he could live through this to gloat to Bruce about how 'mature and reliable' he was.

"Tell me who the Bat is," Joker growled threateningly.

"Get a new face and I just might," Wally grunted in a strain to get out of his chains.

The clown found no humour in the superhero's insult. Flash heard his skin sizzle as Joker plunged the poker into the skin of his abdomen once more. This time, Wally only cringed, even though it hurt twice as much as the last.

"You're only making this harder on yourself, boy. So make Uncle Joker happy and tell me who Batman is."

Something within The Fastest Man Alive stirred and flared up. "You're not my uncle," he growled out tersely.

"And thank the devil for _that_," the villain scoffed off-handedly. "Imagine being related to you…I bet the family reunions are absolute hell, all these speedy guys running all over the place, tearing up everything in sight…ick."

Joker eyed Wally evilly. "But back on topic, let's not let our minds wander idly!" he began drawing circles in the air around the insignia of Flash's suit. "Who is Batsy?"

For a fleeting moment, the young man wondered if Joker's insane streak was rubbing off on him. "Didn't you hear? He's the terror of the night, the Caped Crusader, the- GACK!"

"Really? I never knew he was a 'gack'…though he sure tends to act like one," the clown teased cheerfully, as he stuck the hot poker into his chest once more.

Flash's back arched into a parabola, and his forehead and neck sprung out into salty tears. When The Joker released him and paced back a few steps, his vision had blackened momentarily in pain, and his breath didn't seem to want Wally to catch up with it. _Oh, god, please, make it stop…_

"Wow, you're going to have some major heart burn after this," the villain laughed obnoxiously. He walked back up to Wally, and with a coy smile, whispered into his ear, "I can make it stop, Flash…just say the name…"

With a cold shiver, Wally clenched his fists and shut his eyes. "Fine. You want to know? He's really…" Flash glanced back at The Joker, a mischievous grin painted on his features, "…Your mom."

The Scarlet Speedster had seen the look of anger on many people before- the annoyance people exhibited when he cracked an unwanted joke, his parents fighting, Batman on a normal day- but the expression on The Joker's face made their frowns look like smiles.

"Wrong answer, boy," the clown snarled savagely, and stuck Wally once more with the poker.

"_Aaaugh-_ fine- he's freakin' Albert Einstein!"

The rod tore Flash's suit as the villain put on more pressure.

"AAAHH- George Clooney!"

Sizzle.

"Bill Clinton!"

His skin underneath began to blacken.

"_Urrgh_, 50 cent…"

Wally began to feel sick. He was already in a mass amount of misery, but now on top of the pain, he felt as though he were going to throw up whatever remained in his stomach, which wasn't much, seeing how he hadn't eaten anything in over a day. But, he didn't feel that hungry anymore anyway- the thought of that cheeseburger his had craved earlier made him feel even fainter.

"…Walt Disney…" he mumbled deliriously, his tongue feeling deader than his blackened skin. "Darth…Vader…"

"Erg, this is just pathetic…just pass out already, boy, it'd be such a waste to have to kill you off right away," The Joker remarked in disgust.

Flash weakly raised his forefinger skyward. "For once, whitehead…I'd have…to agree," the injured superhero gasped out. He gave out a hoarse groan and shuddered, suddenly feeling very cold with the metal rod removed from on top his abdomen. He sunk back into the metal table feebly, shivering pitifully in a yearning for heat. Then, time finally lost meaning for The Fastest Man Alive.

**444444444444444**

Batman found that he could handle many different situations tactfully- anything from solving complex mysteries to scaring the bejeesus out of common thugs in the black of night.

But the fact that he couldn't inch along the edge of a wall without risking falling down a bottomless pit annoyed the hell out of him.

Of course, this was only because his ankle was being more unreliable than trusting a snake alone in a room with a hamster and expecting it not to eat the furry rodent.

But that still shouldn't have held Bruce back.

Still, even at great risk to himself, he could feel himself slowly inching forward, his back pressed tightly against the stone cave wall, his feet barely holding him balanced on the thin edge that separated him from walking and free-falling to his sure death in the bottomless abyss. He had to get to Wally and save him from The Joker before it was too late.

At first, he didn't know which direction to go- backward or forward, AKA deeper into the cave. Then he saw The Joker's telltale footprints going ahead into the ominous dark- and the dark knight knew what he had to do.

Bruce could feel a thin layer of perspiration begin to make formation on his forehead underneath his cowl. He rarely felt fear that he was going to die- but now the feeling was beginning to make itself known without an invitation.

Instead of going back like his head told him to, he simply ground his teeth together and took another shaky step forward.

The ground crumbled underneath Batman's feet and gravity took over, the abyss yawning him into the darkness.

With a sharp gasp, Bruce twirled in midair and desperately clawed at the wall for a grip.

He then found himself dangling in midair, one trembling hand holding onto a protruding rock in the wall for dear life.

A striking feeling of déjà vu washed over the dark knight and he grimaced dismally.

Batman felt his whole arm begin to quiver under his weight. He knew that if he didn't act fast, he was going to fall- and perish.

Bruce's left eye twitched with annoyance.

Using his other hand, he stuck the flashlight into his mouth and clenched down on it with his teeth. Then, he swiftly found his grappling hook in his utility belt and shot it a good 10 feet forward, and well out of the pit. He heard the '_thwip!'_ of the rope and saw the other end stick to the ceiling like a spider web.

He let go of the wall and grasped fully onto the rope; using his good foot, he pushed off the wall and swung to the other side, and cushioned the impact with his back skillfully. His twisted his body around to face the wall of rocks and began to inch up the rope with the combined strength of his hands and good foot to anchor himself on the wall. He moved slothishly and deliberately, but eventually he climbed out of the hole and staggered into a standing position. He retracted the grappling hook and took the flashlight out of his jaw.

"I hate this place," Batman grumbled to himself, tenderly leaning off his injured ankle. "I hate being stuck here, I hate The Joker for causing this, and I hate the fact that Wally and I sleep like logs. Most of all, _I hate Christmas holidays_. If only I could contact the rest of the 'League, we could get out of here."

A light bulb lit up. The dark knight limped over to a wall, and leaned against it heavily. He closed his eyes, looking as though he were about to fall asleep from exhaustion, but instead was concentrating deeply on one thought over and over again.

_J'onn, can you hear me?_ Maybe, just maybe, if he could contact the Martian, Bruce could get him to come and help them out of the godforsaken hellhole.

After a few tense moments, a voice vibrated in the Caped Crusader's eardrums. **_Bruce? What is Wrong?_**

Listen, are you able to pick up where my voice is coming from? Yes, though it is faint… Good. I need you to track me down. Wally and I are stuck in a cave, and we can't get out…Wally's missing and we need assistance. Alright, I'm at Superman's parents' house, so I'll let him know…but why is Wally not with you? 

…_The Joker has him. I'm trying to find him. J'onn, get here as fast as you can; it's really important that you do…otherwise Wally might not be around to find._

_**To Be Continued…**_


End file.
